04/20/2008  As May draws near SunCrest Orchard Aplacas,LLC will officially go on cria watch for the next 8 weeks.   With anticipation and excitement we will restock birthing supplies,  prepare the hospital area for any emergencies that may occur (hopefully none this year!) and wait and wait and wait!  I'll Keep everyone posted and take lots of pictures.

04/21/2008  Today is just another day in the life of SunCrest Orchard 's expecting mamas.  The sun is shining and the feeder is full of hay.   Perla Negra is the first of our three due in June.    She is becoming more trusting and actually ate grain out of my hand the other day!  Big step for this little lady!

04/22/2008  Lisbeth, the second of the three mamas due, is becoming more cranky as the days pass!  She insists on picking a fight with whoever is within spitting distance and is as big as a house.  Hang on girl!  Not much longer!

04/23/2008  Peaches, the last of the three due to deliver this spring is finally weaning Lambchop.  She seemed to need to nurse more than Lambchop and would frequently "cluck" to call her cria to stay close to her.

04/24/2008  As the orchards blossom and the weather becomes warmer, Suncrest Orchard Alpacas will prepare for the annual shearing and processing of fiber.  Trying to reduce the stress on the very pregnant dams will be one of our primary goals this year.  In the past births have been traditionally in the fall.  However, we are trying to change over to spring births in hopes of milder weather and less sleepless nights worrying about cold crias.

05/19/2008  With much relief the shearing is done and the expecting mamas are nearing their due dates.  Perla is spending much time in the barn alone and can only be coaxed out when offered a cool squirt  bath with the water hose.  Lisbeth and Peaches love the hose as well and insist on a squirt bath before their water trough can be filled.

05/24/2008  Today was the day we were intensely keeping an eye on Perla as her due date draws near when all of a sudden ,right in the middle of lunch , Peaches delivers a beautiful 15lb baby girl 4 weeks early!  Wow!  Didn't see that one coming!  The cria has struggled much of the day to gain muscle strenth and control to be able to stand and nurse.  I am  happy to report by 9:30 pm she was up and walking in search of food.  We will be up most of the night on cria watch to ensure she is stable and nursing without difficulty.  We'll keep everyone posted.

05/25/2008  We made it through the first night and Sugar May is finally nursing and running around the corral.  She spent her first day of life exploring her new big world and figuring out how her legs worked .   Now all eyes are on Perla as she is showing significant signs of delivery soon.

05/26/2008  Another day of anticipation is over with the birth of our second cria this weekend.  Perla delivered a 16lb 3oz baby boy at 1130am.  Two down, one to go.  We are blessed!

05/27/2008  John Boy and Sugar May are doing well and starting to interact with each other.  Sugar May is a little more inquisitive of her environment and will stray further from mom than John Boy.  Perla is very protective and clucks a lot to keep her little one close.

06/11/2008  Today Lisbeth delivered an 18lb 3oz bouncing baby boy.   He was up and nursing within the first few minutes of birth and mom is doing fine.  Good Job Lisbeth!